According to a report from Field Yates, former Vikings strength and conditioning coach Brent Salazar has left the Vikings for a position with the United States Tennis Association.
Like Yates indicates, this is a unique opportunity for Salazar, who was recruited to play for the University of New Mexico’s tennis team, which is where he initially began strength coaching — as an intern for their baseball and football programs.
Salazar has directed tennis conditioning programs too, including while interning at UNLV. While with the Chiefs, Salazar also participated in the rehab of world-class tennis player Jack Sock.
This leaves the Vikings looking for another strength and conditioning coach just one year after they parted ways with Evan Marcus, presumably to get a handle on the numerous pectoral injuries the team accumulated under his tenure.
The Vikings ranked 30th in Football Outsiders’ Adjusted Games Lost metric, which measures the impact injury has on a team. At 30th, the Vikings ended up as one of the most injury-prone teams in the NFL last season — though 32 of those games were the result of the Teddy Bridgewater and Mike Harris injuries.
The last two hires the Vikings have made have focused on expanding the dynamic range of motion of players and creating functional strength through the use of free weights and strengthening stabilizing muscles along with the primary movers. It’s likely that the Vikings will continue to hire coaches that emphasize those same traits.
Catch Arif every week on The Andy Luke & Arif Football Machine
